(no subject)

[eirias]

Some courteous thoughts on public breastfeeding.

Comments

[leora.livejournal.com]

I don't understand the fuss. It's just eating. It's just a breast. Neither of these things is particularly scary or disturbing. And most of us have been breastfeed ourselves and survived the shock of breastfeeding at the tender age of almost nothing.

[eldan.livejournal.com]

Personally I do feel rather awkward when I see someone breastfeeding in public, because I find it hard not to stare at what is a rather intimate, private activity. I see this as being entirely my problem if I can't help staring, and not something that the mother should have to worry about, but I wonder if it's one of the reasons that people do complain so much. For the sort of person who likes having petty laws passed to force everyone to behave like them, stopping people from breastfeeding in front of them probably seems like the appropriate way to avoid that embarassment.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I am glad that something that provokes staring and then embarassment is insufficient reason for it to be illegal. Otherwise, I would not be allowed out, as my mere presence does so since I am visibly disabled.

[rshruti.livejournal.com]

In a perfect world, it wouldn't matter. But in this society a woman's breast has been overly sexualized and is no longer just a part that feeds a baby. While I agree that it's not really appropriate to send women to the ladies' room (because it is a good point ... who wants to eat in a public bathroom?), I think there are probably ways to breastfeed discreetly. And just out of politeness, it would be nice if nursing mothers would try to be discreet whenever possible. And, to be fair, I haven't noticed this as a big societal problem except by articles like this one. I've certainly never been grocery shopping or at a social event and noticed a mother baring her breasts.

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think there are ways to breastfeed discreetly, and in fact I think most women who breastfeed publicly probably do so. I mean, I've certainly never noticed any nursing mother doing a striptease. ;) Actually, I've only ever seen one person nurse publicly, for that matter, and while I was startled and maybe a little embarrassed, I realized that this was my problem and not hers or the kid's - the kid's need to eat on demand, in a clean place, way outranked my discomfort with public boobies. Especially given the noise that hungry children emit. I would like society to be such that breastfeeding isn't embarrassing in the first place. I'm not sure how to get there from here, though... I guess if more women did it, without being overbearing jerks about it, it would help; but alas, it's hard to take a minority position in this country without slipping into proud defiance, and from there it's a short fall to overbearing jerkdom. Of course, the other half of the problem is that majorities are so sensitized to minority opposition that even calm dissent gets misinterpreted as overbearing jerkdom half the time. Sigh.

(The cynic in me says, hey, it's good preparation for the modern child, whose entire life will be marked by Eating as a Political Statement on Obesity and Animal Welfare and Diabetes and Antibiotic Resistance and Fair Trade and Social Status and Religious Affiliation.)

....aaaand with that I'm going to get to work on the dregs of my paper so I can hopefully enjoy today's gay pride parade downtown. ;) (At least "gays are cool and stuff" isn't really a minority position in Madison!)